The Mayor of London has been criticised for refusing to introduce a London-wide planning policy encouraging councils to take action on the saturation of betting shops, takeaways and other types of business. Darren has welcomed the Mayor’s call for the Government to introduce planning powers to "help control the proliferation and clustering of betting shops", and will be asking the Mayor again to use his own powers to tackle this problem.
Darren commented,
"I’m glad the Mayor has changed his mind about this. Lots of communities are crying out for help in stopping their high streets being taken over by betting shops, takeaways, off licenses or estate agents.
"I’ll be repeating my call for the Mayor to do his bit by writing it into London’s planning policy. When I asked him last year to help councils stop areas becoming overwhelmed with certain types of business he dodged it."
ENDS
Notes to editors
The Mayor issued the following press release on the 18th October (today):
http://www.london.gov.uk/media/press_releases_mayoral/mayor-calls-planning-controls-over-betting-shop-boom
In his answer to Darren’s question last year, the Mayor said he would look at providing "advice" to boroughs on the matter but wouldn’t introduce a policy encouraging boroughs to use existing powers to tackle the problem.
Saturation of business types
Question number 1372/2011
Meeting date 19/05/2010
Question by Darren Johnson
Will you consider a specific point in London Plan Policy 7.1 and in any guidance on your Lifetime Neighbourhoods proposal to encourage Boroughs to use their powers to tackle the oversaturation of particular business types such as betting shops, takeaways and off licences? It is a problem frequently raised by constituents.
Answer by Boris Johnson
This is (sic) issue is more effectively addressed by the draft Plan’s retailing and town centre sections, where there is already a strong commitment to sustain the diversity of the offer of town centres.
Rather than seeking to impose a new ‘blanket’, pan London policy to address a problem which has many local expressions, it would be more sensitive to tackle it through the forthcoming town centres Supplementary Planning Guidance which will provide an opportunity to give more nuanced advice. This could then be used by Boroughs to support Local Development Frameworks in addressing it in light of local circumstances.